Wednesday, September 2, 2009

LEMON & ROSE CHEESECAKE BARS

Barbara at the great "Winos And Foodies" blog is a very kind, courageous and strong woman from Australia who has kicked cancer in it's butt and celebrated it with other bloggers in July. And man, we are all so relieved that she finished her chemo treatment!

Every year, Barbara is organises an event called "A Taste Of Yellow" in order to support LiveSTRONG Day. This time it will occur on the 2nd of October 2009 in order to coincide with the date Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with cancer 10 years ago..

She is asking all (food)bloggers to take part in the round-up by making a dish that should contain some yellow (banana, cheese, saffron, etc...). Closing day is September the 13th 2009, but I guess that if you ask her politely, she will accept your recipe even if you send it two or three days later (Email your entries to her at atasteofyellowATgmailDOTcom)...

Although you might find the subject a little redundant, today I will be presenting yet another "Cookie Bar" recipe...

I'm awfully sorry for always blogging about this Anglo-Saxon and for sounding like a scratched CD, but "Slices" are like the Holy Grail to me. I can't help baking them on a regular basis as as they are so scrumptious, easy to make and versatile. I just cannot go through a month without testing a new "Square" recipe.

As I had quite a few cartons cream cheese in my fridge (bought on sale) and since I had been craving cheesecake lately, I thought that I could make "Cheesecake Bars". So, I went on the net looking for recipes and I came across Martha Stewart's delicious "Lemon Cheesecake Squares".This basic recipe is great as it can be played around with to suit individual cravings of the moment and one can customize it to his'/her's liking. That's exactly what I wanted to do.I didn't have any Graham Crackers at home, so I used Lotus Caramelised Biscuits from Belgium. I ommited the lemon juice as well as the lemon zest. Instead, I flavored my cream cheese filling with lemon extract, vanilla and ground dried rosebuds. Luckily, that combination worked fine and my "Lemon & Rose Cheesecake Bars" were delightful.The cookie base is deliciously caramelly, slightly salty and crunchy, and the cream cheese filling is delicately fragrant and creamy-textured. Those bars are fabulous, especially if served with a not-too-sweet seasonal "Cinnamon Prune Compote".A dessert item that is extremely irresistible and so toothsome!

Method for the "Crust":1. Preheat oven to 170° C (325° F).2. Butter a 22 X 22cm (8-inch) square baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.3. In a food processor, blend cookies/crackers with sugar and salt until finely ground. Add the melted butter and pulse until moistened.4. Transfer crumb mixture to prepared pan, and pat in gently.5. Bake until beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes.6. Let cool on a rack.Method for the "Filling":7. Place cream cheese in food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.8. Add sugar, flour, salt, eggs, rosebud powder, vanilla, lemon extract and blend until smooth.9. Pour mixture onto hot crust in pan and smooth the top.10. Bake until set (filling should jiggle only slightly when pan is gently shaken), 30 to 35 minutes.11. Cool completely in pan.12. Cover very loosely with plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 12 hours.

Remarks:The longer the cheesecake squares are chilled, the better, so don't be hasty.Keep them in the fridge for up to 5 days.Serving suggestions:Serve with a cinnamon prune/plum compote.

Rosa, Hhow could be ever complain about the wonderful bars you create ? I love bars too anyway so I'm more than happy to dream on your photos ! I've never tried rose buds you really push me to do it !!

Rosa! What a fabulous idea to combine roses and cheesecake. I have some rose petal jelly that would be lovely served with slices of creamy cheesecake as an elegant dessert... thanks for the inspiration!

Rosa, never apologise for all these beautiful things that you bake. Sometimes, the simplier things are the best. I absolutely adore slices, too. My favourites? Caramel slice. Or jam coconut slice. YUM!

Hi Rosa!Thanks for the recommendation,this recipe look superb!I love cheesecake bars in any combination,and i just bought some dried rosebuds and wondered what to do with it, so it's perfect!I wonder what's the different in the flavorBetween using rose-water, or rose buds?...I guess the taste is more gentle?Thanks,Inbal